KXTV-TVThe U.S. Forest Service is using loggers to help thin overgrown forests. The loggers get to sell some of the trees as lumber but have to leave the biggest trees standing in the forest and clean out the overgrown vegetation beneath them.READ MORE

There's still time to plan your trip to Mississippi State University (MSU) to attend the Introduction to Wood Science and Forest Products Course. Presented by the Forest Products Society (FPS) in conjunction with Mississippi State University (MSU), students will gain a valuable industry education taught by esteemed professors and experts.READ MORE

FPSFPS Northwest Section is bridging the gap between forest product academics, students, scientists and researchers with industry professionals during the "Future of Wood' Workshops and Mass Timber Tour, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 17 and 18, at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Oregon. Co-located with the popular Timber Processing and Energy Expo, the event will allow individuals to meet and network with FPS members in the Northwest and learn about these critical areas:

University Update and Future of the Workforce: A Panel Discussion of University Deans and Primary Faculty

Daily Inter LakeChanges in precipitation patterns have had direct impacts on the duration and severity of wildfires in the western United States, according to a recent study. A team of scientists from the United States Forest Service and the University of Montana worked together on a study that examined summer rainfall totals in the western U.S. from 1979 to 2016. Those studies showed that recent burn areas strongly correlate with a decrease in rainfall across approximately 31 to 45 percent of forested areas in 11 western states.READ MORE

Open Access GovernmentForests cover approximately 31 percent of Earth's land surface and play an important role as ecosystems, carbon storage and renewable energy resources. For the investigation of adaptation processes and reactions of forest ecosystems to climate change, a permanent monitoring and recording of different forest structure parameters (e.g. tree species distribution, wood stock, dead wood distribution and renewable regeneration) in selected observation areas with high accuracy is required.READ MORE

Carson NowFire restrictions on National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin will remain in effect through Nov. 5. Warm temperatures and dry vegetation combined with numerous wildfires burning in our region prompted the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to implement restrictions intended to safeguard our communities across the Tahoe Basin.READ MORE

CALmattersMichael Picker, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, writes: "With California’s commitment to renewable energy and the growing concern about wildfires, biomass electrical generation is increasingly being promoted at the state Capitol as a tool for addressing both challenges as the legislative session is about to end. For a number of reasons, this approach has a lot to overcome. A clean-energy policy has a different set of concerns than the issue of safety from wildfires. For clean energy, policymakers focus on emissions, price, and the ability of new resources to work together in ways that keep the lights on."READ MORE

Real Estate WeeklyWood is on the rise in cities around the world as the global construction industry embraces mass timber construction. In Tokyo, a 70-story, wood-hybrid tower is in the works. In Sydney, Australia, a six-story complex was wrapped up last year. There's also the seven-story office building in Minneapolis, the 18-story dormitory in Vancouver or the 11-story proposal in Newark.

Although fire-shy policies have kept tall timber at bay in the Big Apple, an ongoing review of the city's building code could allow more high-density wood projects as soon as 2020. However, even if timber gets the green light from city hall, it might hit roadblocks trying to get on work sites.READ MORE

MongabayA searchable database of 467 forest carbon emissions reduction (REDD+) initiatives in 57 countries is now available through the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
The ID-RECCO database gathers in one free online tool over 100 different categories of information – including project partners, activities, and funding sources – on these subnational projects aimed at conserving forests, promoting local economies, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation.READ MORE

The Mercury NewsFaced with the worst summer fire season in 10 years, Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing broad new changes to California's logging rules that would allow landowners to cut larger trees and build temporary roads without obtaining a permit as a way to thin more forests across the state. The proposal — which has the support of the timber industry but is being opposed by more than a dozen environmental groups — would represent one of the most significant changes to the state's timber harvesting rules in the past 45 years.READ MORE